Washing-machine.



.G. H. MYRICK.

WASHINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I9I6.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Fig. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT 0mm GEORGE HI. MYRICK, or'oHIoAeo, ILLINoIs, Ass enoR To CAPITAL ELECTRIC comrnmr,

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of -I1linois,xhave invented a certain new and .useful Improvement in Washing-Machines,

of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the-accompanying drawings, forming, a part of thisspecification.

' My invention relates to an improved form of washin machine wherein the articles to' be washe are moved in the solution in which they are washed by a column of washing solution forcibly drawn' or sucked .through the fabrics and'their container; which inthe embodiment of my invention hereinafter described is in the form of a roof my invention .the open work drum or solution is whatnlay be termed .a fan .or

fabric container is mounted for movement around a horizontal axisin atank'or tub arranged to contain washingsolution. to a depth substantially immersing; the drum" or 'container.- MountedforQrotation around a substantially vertical axis, ,disposed below R yy able open work material whlch constitutes the container and Immersed in the washing screw propeller provided with means for;

driving itand arranged when operated to;

draw or suck a column of washing solution through the fabrics to efi'ect'the cleaning" thereof. Thecolumn o f Water thus initially -sucked or drawnthrou'gh the fabrics may be, and desirably is subsequently] directed against and through the fabric container through a passage or. conduit communicat ing with the. disc side of the fan or propellen.

- As will presently he described in more-detail the famor ropeller is. driven by an electric motor an "the. rotatable container or drum is either-driven by the forceoflthe column of washin solutiondrawn there-. through; or is mec ani'cally driven by the same motor as serves for the means for ro- Ibo .tating the fan or propeller. Themechanical connections inter osed between'the motor and fabric contamer aresuch that the container or drum, at the will of-the operator is driven either agains't the force 'of-the OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,.A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WASHING-MACHINE. I

column of washing solution' drawn there through by the propeller or in the direction of the How of washing solution impelled by the suction of the propeller.

. These and other features of my improved washing machine are fully set -'forth in the Specification armament. P t t d De ,.3, 1918, Application filed May 8, 1916. Serial No. 96,024. i I

.following detailed description wherein. ref-' erence is made to the accompanying draw 7 ings in which'- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the washing machine of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View thereof of .sheet' metal and suitably mounted upon an-angle iron framework '5, the tank being provided with a suitable removable cover 6 I which may consist of two parts hinged one to the other, as illustrated. Disposed within the tank or tub 5 is a rotatable cylindrical fabric container or drum indicated at 7 5 said drum or container comprising a pair of heads and a skeleton framework over which isstretched wire netting or other-suit- "the insertion and removal of'the articles to be washed.*' It will be noted that the drum or fabric container is mounted forrotation around; a substantially horizontal axis by means of trunn-ions'or stub shafts journaled in 'the wallsof the tank or tub 4.1 The front and rear walls of the tank are conformed to lie in immediate proximity to the cylindricalsurface of. the fabric container? and the] side walls of the tank'are conformed to lie quite close to the heads of the container;

therefore,'it will be seen that water caused to circulate. withinth'e tank must necessarily take a paththrough the open work container and the fabrics'therein contained.

As .is clearly shown in Fig. 1', the tank is container 7. I 'Supported by the machine framework 5 is "an electric motor 9 the shaft 10 "of. which ex:

tends upwardly and is connected either diing 14 and is provided with a worm 15- meshing with a worm gear 15 which worm gear is in turn fixed upon one end of a horizontal shaft 16 having a bearing in the hous-v ing 14, the other end of said shaft extending to one side of the machine framework and vided with a bevel or miter gear 23 meshing being there journaled in a second gear housing 17 where it is provided with a bevel pinion 18. The bevel pinion 18 is permanently meshed with a cooperating bevel pinion 19 mounted upon the lower end of a .vertical shaft 20 which preferably extends through an inc'losing tube or sleeve 21 and at its upperend bears in a gear and clutch housing I 22. At its upper end the shaft 21 is prowith a pair of spaced bevel or miter gears 24 and 25, each of which'is loosely mounted upon the adjacent stub shaft or trunnion of the fabric container. Each of the bevel-or miter gears 24 is provided on that face nearest the gear 23 with suitable clutch teeth arranged to be engaged by a clutch member 26 splined upon the shaft or trunnion ofthe fabric container and movable into engagement with either one ef the gears 24 and 2.5. The clutch member may, of course, be moved to a position wherein. it engages neither of its associated gears 241 and 25'. The operation of the clutch member is effected through a manually operated' lever 27 pivoted to a bracket fixed on the machine framework and provided atiits'lower-end with a fork arranged to engage in an annular slot in the clutch member in the usual manner.- It will be understood that when the clutch member 26 lies midwaybetween the gears 24 and 25 the-fabric container is free to turn around'its axis independently of the motor 9 and the driving mechanism interposed between the motor and the fabric container and, more.

' over, thatwhen the clutch-member is in engagement with the teeth of one of the gears 2 1 and 25 the fabric container is driven in one direetionand. when in engagement with the other gear in the opposite direction.

As is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a battle plate 28 extends-across the bottom of the tank 7 and is spaced somewhat I from the bottom of the tank to provide a conduit'leading from beneath the fan or propellet to that'side of the tank opposite the propellen' --The baflie plate 28, which is de-' sirably formed of sheet metal, is, moreover acts to draw or suck a continuous column of washing solution downwardly. through the fabric container and the fabrics therein. This column of washing solution is forcibly driven through the conduit provided between thebaffle 28 and the bottom of thetank and is projectedupwardly from the discharge end of said conduit and again through the fabric container. Under some conditions it is desirable to permit the action of the propeller alone to effect the rotation of the fabric container. Under other conditions it is desirable to drive the fabric container in a direction opposed to the direction of the column of solution drawn toward the propellerand in some cases it is'desirable to mechanically drive the fabric container in the direction of the stream of washing solution impelled by the propeller. Attention is directed to the fact that inasmuch as the walls of the tank or tub lie .in immediate proximity to the fabric container practically all of the solution caused to take the paths indicated by the arrows isdirected through the fabric container and consequently through. the fabrics contained therein.-

While I have illustrated and desirably employ, a conduit of the type afforded by the baflie 28 I am aware of the fact that an operative machine may be constructed without utilizing the baflle 28 or a conduit the equivalent of the one heretofore described.

Having thus described myinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A washing machine of the. class described comprising a rotatable openwork fabric container movable around a horizontal axis, a tank in whichthecontainer-i's mounted, said tank having its walls: lying adjacent the cylindrical surface of the container and arranged to contain washing solution to a depth substantially immersing the container, a screw propeller mounted for rotation around a substantially vertical axis and disposed in the tank beneath the con-- tamer, a motor for rotating the propeller in v such direction that thelatter-draws a .con- I means for operating on said connections to drive the container so that it opposes the v movement of, washing solution set up by the;

propeller or moves in the direction of the flow-of washing solution as desired. -2'.-In a washing machine 'of. he class described .the combination with a tankor tub, an open work fabric container journaled in said tank, said-tank arranged to contain I washing solution to a depth substantiallyimmersing the container, a screw propeller, immersed in the solution, disposed at one side of the container and mounted for rotation around a substantiallyvertical axis, a

nmotor for drivingthe propeller in such a direction thatjit draws a continuous column of'washing solution through the container and the contents thereof, mechanical connec tions between the motor and fabric container,

and means for operating on said connections so" that the container is driven to either op-v pose the movement of Washing solution im- .pelled by the propeller or moves in the direction of the flow of solution, as desired; I 3; In a'washing machine the combination with anopenwork cylindrical fabric container movable around a substantially hori-. zontal axis, a tankjinclosing and supporting the container having its walls lying in immediate proximity to the cylindrical surface and rotatable around an axis at right angles of the container and adapted to contain washing solution'ito a 'depth' substantially immersing the fabric container, a propeller disposed in the tank beneath the container to the axis of thecontainer and substantiall tangential to the. cylindrical surface'of the container, a conduit leading from beneath the propeller across the bottom of the tank and terminating beneath the container on 'thetsideof the tank opposite the propeller,

and 'a motor for rotating the propeller in such a direction that it draws acontinuous column of solution downwardlythrough the container and forces it"th'rough the conduit and thence upwardlyxagainst and into the container, 1 r

4. In a washing machine the combination with an openwork cylindrical fabric container movable around a substantially horizontal axis, a tankinclosing-and supporting the container having its walls lyingin immediate proximityto the cylindrical surface of the'container and adapted to contain washing solution to a depthv substantially immersing the fabric container, a propeller container, said tank arranged to contain disposed in: the tank beneath the container,

and rotatable around an axis at right angles to the axis of the container and substantially tangential to the 'cylindrlcal surface of the container, aconduit leading from beneath the propeller across the bottom of the tank and terminating beneath the container on the side of the tank opposite the propeller, a. 'motorfor rotating the propeller in such a direction that it draws a continuous column of. solution downwardly through the container and forces it through the conduit and thence upwardly against and into the container, mechanical driving connections between the motor and said rotatable fabric container, and a two-way clutch in said eon- 70 nections' whereby the container may :be

driven around its 'axisin either direction simultaneously with. the operation of the propeller. 5. Awashing machine comprising incombination with a cylindrical openwork fabric container, .atank inclosing said container having it walls lying in immediate proximity to the cylindrical surface-of said fabrlc washing solution to. a depth substantially immersing the fabric container, a propeller 1 in said tank at a point adjacent sa1d: .fabric container, said propeller disposed with its axis ata tangent to the fabric container and arranged when operated to cause. a continuone column of washing solution to flow I through the-fabric container on one side of l tating said container in one direction and means for causing a movement of the solution in said tank along one side of said container in a direction opposit'e'to the direction of rotation of said container.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 29th day of March, A. D. 1916.

GEORGE H. MYRICK. Witnesses:

. A. G. McCoBB,

A. Nnnsuncnm' 

